Authorities are still working on the formal identification of the 40 people killed in the fire, with police commander Frédéric Gisler saying “that is our priority”. Many of those injured in the fire remain in a critical condition, authorities said. Of those injured, 113 have been formally identified, Gisler said. This figure includes 71 Swiss […]
Swiss
Rights debate and referendum sparked by Swiss anti-terror law
Switzerland: From the UN to Amnesty, fears abound that a new Swiss anti-terror law, which grants sweeping new powers to police to prevent future attacks, threatens Switzerland’s heritage as a human rights leader. Shocked by the deadly terror attacks in neighbouring France in 2015, Bern produced a new law allowing police to take preventative action […]
Swiss women strike for equal pay again, three decades on
Nearly 30 years after staging a first nationwide strike for equal pay, women across Switzerland say they are preparing fresh action to push for wage parity next week. On June 14, 1991 — 10 years after equality between the sexes was enshrined in the Swiss constitution — half a million women walked out of their […]
Swiss vote on regional ‘burqa ban’, GMOs
GENEVA: A referendum in Switzerland’s northeastern St Gallen region Sunday is expected to usher in a “burqa ban”, making it the second Swiss canton to prohibit all face-covering garments in public spaces. At the same time, voters across Switzerland are being asked to cast their ballots on initiatives aimed at boosting local farming and promoting […]